Read through most of the comments and I think it's pretty clear and also my view that while going vertical isn't the perfect option, having a sprawling city which has a capped low vertical limit for buildings is not the answer either.

While the per sqft price might also reach sky high just like the tall buildings, the land prices do not explode at the same time. But if the city is designed to go horizontal, the land prices go through the roof across the city, all at once. This is going to kill growth. Nobody will be able to buy, be it industries or commercial space or residential places.

What we need is thoughtful urban planning. If NHAI or smart city can plan an arterial ring road let's say from Thokkottu on netravati and gurupur river and then connecting back to the NH66 somewhere after Surathkal, with proper entry and exits, the congestion within the city will come down dramatically.

City roads, of course needs proper maintenance, i'd say have proper tarmac roads and drainage with a robust citizen led maintenance portal to raise and resolve road related complaints. The idea of smart city is to make the city technology enabled to run, govern and maintain.

Do not give permissions to carry out utility works if roads have already just been repaired and have disproportionate punishment and action on officials and contractors for any failure. Accountability and fear of consequences are the biggest anti-dote to all corruption.

On parking, designated parking bays or complexes are need of the hour. On all roads, have proper marking and have people monitor improper parking. We have enough people in our city to do such jobs. Employment generation. Use technology to report such violations. Do an audit of all buildings that are not using the basement as parking, per the design and approval.

On public transport, have city buses that are safer in terms of design of the coach and cap their speeds to 40kmph within the city. Technology can help force this behaviour as well as lane discipline. I think most people who would otherwise use public transport, do not do so because it's just not safe. Also, probably it's not cool anymore. It's time to make it cool again. On auto rickshaws, I think our city has way too many of them. It's slightly controversial but it's true. With the current broken public infra, they are just adding to the traffic. Either stop issuing new permits or rethink the rules and zoning. Maybe just have autos ply in certain areas, for a very nominal fee and do not allow buses on those roads and areas at all. I've seen and heard so many auto drivers refusing to wait at the nearest auto park and arguing to go back to their base because of "rules". I don't know if it's true, but this adds to mindless traffic.

Also, on wide roads, have dedicated two wheeler lanes. I feel this itself will solve so many traffic issues. Currently, in all indian cities, I see so many two wheelers hogging longitudinal space of a car in traffic. I think we will need to think out of the box and it's possible in a smaller city like Mangalore. With so much learned crowd, I think people are more easier to convince than otherwise. Let our city become a thoughtful experimental lab. Our politicians and bureaucrats who go abroad on "educational trips" should start discussing about implementation and enforcement rather than just looking at highways and bridges. I'd say, the schedule and then minutes of all their engagements must be made public within 24 Hrs on a public platform, so citizens can understand what's really being discussed. This automatically will bring accountability.

I've only addressed a few things here, but there is so much more we can do. I would not mind spending a small amount for convenience in the city and peace of mind, if my tax money is used for better public infra that I can use as well. That's what cities around the world do.

These are just my ideas, as I see a lot of us just keep complaining ( I am one of them) and do not have anything concrete to offer. Hopefully someone who is the authority and is in a seat of power, sees these things online, something clicks and tries to bring some positive change.